Coaxial RF connectors provide electrical connections between coaxial cables transmitting electrical signals having frequencies in the multi-megahertz range. Many standard types of RF connectors are known, adapted for various categories of coaxial cables with frequencies co-opted for different functions. One known RF connector is the UHF connector, commonly implemented by providing a cable plug of a particular design, known as the PL-259 plug.
The PL-259 plug, in use, is soldered to a coaxial cable in order to provide an electrical interface which may be inserted into a corresponding socket. A coaxial cable is stripped to expose a center conductor wire. The PL-259 plug provides a body which receives the coaxial cable, housing a pin which receives the center conductor. The body of a PL-259 plug accepts a coaxial cable having a diameter of 0.405 inches, such as an RG-213 cable or an RG-8 cable. Soldering of the PL-259 plug to the coaxial cable establishes an electrical connection between the center conductor and the connector pin.
The PL-259 plug is protected by an outer shell. The body of the PL-259 plug retains the outer shell and prevents the outer shell from slipping off a PL-259 plug which has been soldered to the coaxial cable. However, the outer shell must be set onto the coaxial cable before the plug is soldered to the coaxial cable, as the retention mechanism prevents the outer shell from being sheathed onto a plug which has been soldered to a coaxial cable.
In use with narrower coaxial cables, such as an RG-8X cable having a diameter of 0.24 inches, the PL-259 plug cannot be soldered directly to the cable. A reducer is soldered to the coaxial cable to adapt the diameter of the coaxial cable to be receivable by the body. The reducer provides an adapter which inserts into the body to create an electrical connection. By adding an additional mechanical element to the electrical connection, the use of reducers contributes to impedance and loss of electrical signal in the electrical interface provided by the PL-259 plug.